Dry cell



June 16, 1953 o. K. REINHARDT E-rAL 2,542,470

DRY lCELL Filed June 7, 1951 l several embodiments of the invention.

Patented June 16, 1953 DRY CELL Otto Karl Reinhardt, West Haven,iandrJay Y.

Welsh, Hamden, Conn., assignors to OlinkIndustries, Inc., New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application .Tune 7, 1951, serial No. 230,391

This invention relates to dry cells and more particularly to a leak-resistant cell construction which may be used in iiashlight batteries.

- Many types of leak-resistant flashlight cells have been proposed during recent years. Some of these proposals have been adopted with more or less success but a completely satisfactory leak resistant cell has not yet been produced. y

In the present invention We provide a leakresistant cell in which the surrounding jacket consists of a metal bottom, side walls of insulating material of laminated construction and a closure of thermoplastic or thermosetting material. An important feature of the invention is the provision of collars or sleeves on the closure member which extend downwardly on the inside of the zinc can and surroundingr the carbon pencil into the soft sealing materialplaced above the core of the cell. The sealing material is thus forced upwardly between the lower edge of the outer collar and the inside walls of the zinc can and between the lower edge of the inner collar and the carbon pencil to provide a lhigh degree of leak-resistance. Y

The side wall ofthe jacket consists preferably of soft plies of fibrous insulating material, such as paper. It may be applied to the rexterior of the zinc can as a tube made by either a spiral or oonvolute winding process. The inner plies of this paper jacket are formed of absorbent paper which readily take up `any electrolyte which may reach them, for example, through perforations in the metal anode which may occur when the cell has beenin use for a period of time. The outer plies, however, are resistant to peneration by the electrolyte.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown In this showing:

Fig. l is an elevation, partly in section, of one form of the invention; l

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the upper edge of a cell showing a modied form of the invention; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the bottom ofa cell showing a modified bottom construction.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral I designates the anode element or electrode of` a cell. As is conventional, it maybe in The depolarizing mixture 3 s claims. (ci. 13s-43s) manganesel dioxide and a carbonaceous ,f or graphitic mixture, such as` graphite or other suitable formy of carbon. Suitable electrolytes, in the form of a solution or paste, are added to the cell in the conventional manner. The depolarizing mixture is separated from'the bottom of the can by an insulating Washer 4. Adjacent the top of thecan we provided an inwardly extending bead or groove 5 which supports a paper washer 6. A layer of sealing material l of a characterthat may be softened by heat, vsuch as pitch or wax, is placed over the washer 6 as a closure.

The. construction heretofore described Vis -conventional and forms no part of the invention except in the combination claimed and hereinafter described. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. l, we provide a metal disc 8 at the bottom of the cell. This disc may be formed of tinplated steel or other metal and is preferably embossed at its center, asindicated at 9, to pro-y vide a more certain contact between cells in tandem when used in a ilashlight casing. The cell is surrounded by a jacket I0 of iibrous insulating material. As stated, the inner layers of this jacket are preferably absorbent. If perforations develop in the side walls of the zinc can when the cell is in use, electrolyte discharged into the jacket is thus absorbed by these inner absorbent layers. The outer layers of the jacket. however, are resistant to penetration by the electrolyte, thus preventing any electrolyte that gets out of the can through such perforations from reaching the exterior of Ythe complete construc- Vtion where it may corrode metal parts in flashlight casings or in other places in which the cell is used. As shown, the lower edge of the jacket and the outer edge of the disc 8 are unitedto each other by an interlocking crimp Il. In assembling the jacket and the disc, the metal disc is rst provided with a circumferential groove which is open atthe bottom. This groove is inserted into the base o f the jacket and the bottom end of the jacket when turned upwardly to extend into the groove. The eassembly is then turned inwardly by the application of suitable rmaterial is still ina fluid condition, the closure member may be inserted. The closure member consists of a disc .I2 of `suitable thermoplastic or thermosetting material of a proper size to be received in the top of the cell and having a central Y 3 opening of a proper size to receive the carbon pencil. At its periphery, the disc is provided with a depending collar or circular ange I3 which, as shown, is received in contact with the inner In a copending application of applicant, Reinhardt, and Thomas C. Stapleton, Serial No. 230,392, filed June 7, 1951, a structure is claimed in which the jacket and upper closure member Wall of the can when assembled. Likewise, sur- 5 are formed integrally and in which a collar sur rounding the central opening through which the carbon Apencil protrudes, the gliscisvproyided with a dependent sxlleever circulalvfalg "14. {lhe lowe"dgs"'ofthese sleeves or *flanges may be shaped, as indicated at l5 and I6, to facillitgtfwlo forcing the sealing material upwardly betifeen`YV the inner Wall of the zinc can and the flangeand between the .carbon pencil and the fla ge as shown in Fig. 1, when the.' the top of the cell Witli'j h ealirig in a soft or fluid conditi -cel closure disc is then inserted into the previously described assembly of the jacket garrdlhdttom disc 8. As shown, the outer edge of thepp ,o fithe disc l2 is shaped as indicated at Il tfc'peate with a crimp on the upper edge Aoi" the jacket and the canlhe top dge offlthe Yjacketl a'if'df` the 'tp edge 'flthecan ae-therfirolled, asfiidicated ,eata'l B'to' fprvide' 'a rm` roll crimp -vvhich 'retains th'. Vclosure .iriposition :dririgithe "s'tdr'a'ge`t period iand'duringuselbfthezfelli A metacon act'cap ti-,I 9- is-ztlien" placed overthe'. 'carbon ',-pericil with which it form's aforceft f The costructinv described provides aninternal hermetic scali-at' the 'junction f vthe closure nargs'zre.end fmswith thefseaiin'g material. Neither. the; netalfontat'cap ffl Q "nor' the frim or upper; .edge'fo'f .th'e' andcanfare" relied upon to accomplish theseal. Any' internal'zpr'essure "lcrease the' tightnessfofthe'seal. f Such L pressure ffi'wini force auditiorim :sealing material T'YAmt'o'f the space adacefit 'the lower edges of' the na-ages' la I 4' 'fwhereleakage 'wldfptherwise; occur. .the alternative'form i'construction shown in 3 and.r23: ?,Inter'lockir"1gsisthen accomplished by y turning the entireassemblw inwardly by the ap- ;p 'lic'ationof suitableipies'sure.' i'lnheclosurermember Il 2j may. be molded of any lsuitablepletic,insulating composition. :,.We may ,mplygeither thermoplastic or thermosetting materials; --'lVeamayemplOy Bakelite,..;ph'enol and A.othersl ,'-Iheconstruc- `Lesistant cells,wljiih;.they outer casing cri jacket is rmed ofnieta y,Thejacketside.wallsare-,de-

the 'anode vc1,1p, ai,1d .the2 bottom and top closures u arevtightly sealed .againstth'e escape. of, any liquid."

" ndin ojjof; material @web rounds the central opening for the cathode of the 1511,.qollar being, embedded n'th'e scali glmaterir'a placed Qvethe washer. VHWe clalm: M M

l. A leak-resistant dry cell comprising a metal can forming an anode, a cathode and a depolarizing mix arranged in the can, the cathode gv filomjlfle top of the can, a metal ring'A the bottom of the can, a jacket .y can having its lower edge cr' ,diSc, a washer arranged in the A can* above t e depolarizing mix, a layer of ma- -t'erial@capableof being softened by heat on said Sherand a closure member comprising a disc 20"''1 ving a central opening, the closure member vri 11 liet the.:,perirgeryj and chenille', adapted,- tQ Fbe Qalgon the..washer,,and the disc in p ition.

11g, "the ...01.0.5111@ member l rs'atzthelperpheynd ,Surrounding the, @en meaning adapted, rol be embeddedl thenj'i teral', o'n'ftrheQwashenfjthe upperf edge offitheja et;` and"the u per,edge

4o. ,0f the fm'eial cari. bei, acrimed Qyerjhe, closure flieende projecting.; mijthetnipf-th can, a

.. metal, disc'` c ering .ket l urrQum ,edge crimped@ Q the, ,jcanljabove; th ,depclarzna mim... a., lyel l of beingjsoitenedgby heat ,.onsacid washenvjand ajiclxosure rvmeinb'encom- JD 'eine ,a .1l disc. havin centralv @Peninakhe e bottpm,`ofyth .canna closure member hayinggdependng ,CQllalSlahthe being shaped to force the sealing material `be ,tween/ thathoeaed ,the ,einer gollifend between the inner surface'of the can and Y,the outer collar. W m

OTTO ARL REINIiAiVpT,

fJAYI-YEWELSHT' 

1. A LEAK-RESISTANT DRY CELL COMPRISING A METAL CAN FORMING AN ANODE, A CATHODE AND A DEPOLARIZING MIX ARRANGED IN THE CAN, THE CATHODE PROJECTING FROM THE TOP OF THE CAN, A METAL DISC COVERING THE BOTTOM OF THE CAN, A JACKET SURROUNDING THE CAN HAVING ITS LOWER EDGE CRIMPED TO THE DISC, A WASHER ARRANGED IN THE CAN ABOVE THE DEPOLARIZING MIX, A LAYER OF MATERIAL CAPABLE OF BEING SOFTENED BY HEAT ON SAID WASHER, AND A CLOSURE MEMBER COMPRISING A DISC HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING, THE CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING DEPENDING COLLARS AT THE PERIPHERY AND SURROUNDING THE CENTRAL OPENING ADAPTED TO BE 